Failure
by TheHttydRaven
Summary: After a simple misunderstanding, Anduin gains the belief that his father thinks of him as a failure. [Vent]


I made up a random character for his instructor because I didn't want to figure out a Canon character to put there.

《◇》

Anduin stumbled backward, his hands tightening their grip upon the hilt of the heavy sword as he desperately brought it up to block the blow of his opponent, his feet sliding on the grass of the courtyard as his thin arms trembled with the strain of blocking his attacker.

The prince's thin chest heaved as he jumped to the side, barely avoiding the opposing weapon as he twisted, but as he threw himself to the side, he left his left side open and unguarded.

The training sword slammed into his ribs, the air being forced from his lungs as he fell to the ground, dropping his wooden sword to the grass as he grit his teeth and curled around himself, bruised and tired arms wrapping around his midsection as he groaned in pain.

"Come on Anduin I didn't hit you that hard!" A gloved hand was thrust into Anduin's vision, the prince grabbing ahold of it and uncurling his sore limbs as he was hauled unceremoniously to his feet, bits of grass and dirt sticking to his clothes and in his hair.

"I'm not wearing any armor, remember? Taking a plank of wood to the middle doesn't feel amazing even with armor!" Anduin straightened, before wincing and hovering a hand over where he had been hit. "Damn that hurt."

"Language, Anduin." His fighting instructor, Commander Jackel, frowned sternly at Wren as he gathered the abandoned training swords and moved to put them away. "And it isn't my fault you forgot your armor. Your father has told me not to go soft on you, no matter what. He wants you to be able to defend yourself."

"Oh yeah." Anduin crossed his arms, rolling his eyes moodily as he looked up at the Commander. "Your father said this, your father said that. It's always what my father says, not what _I _say."

"You know he acts out of love for you, my Prince. He just wants you to be able to protect yourself." Jackel brushed a gloved hand through his short brown hair as the pair left the courtyard, the Commander smiling down fondly at the dirtied prince. "You did good today, I can see that you've been improving."

"Great to know I'm doing good at the thing I don't want to do. Oh, wait - that's everything I do around here." Anduin, in a rare moment of allowing himself to vent, uncrossed his arms and clasped them behind his back, stormy gaze focused upon the tapestry hung upon the far wall of the corridor as he spoke.

"Hmm." Jackel cocked an eyebrow at the moodiness of his trainee, before sighing. "How about this - let's go take a walk around the city. We can visit your mother if you wish. I know that it can be tough being locked up in the keep all day."

"I... I think I'll take you up on that offer. It has been a while since I've paid her a visit..." Anduin paused, shame and dismay flashing briefly through his eyes. "since her birthday I'd guess. Everything has just been so... busy, as of late."

"Well then. Go change into your street-clothes while I make sure the King approves of this, and I'll be by shortly to escort you."

"Thank you." Anduin politely bobbed his golden-haired head, before quickly making his way down the corridor and towards his quarters.

《◇》

As Anduin approached his fathers' door, his mind was filled with the events of the day. Visiting his mother had been good for him, allowing himself a moment to settle a bouquet of beautiful flowers and murmuring a few quiet words to the cold stone had helped take away a sliver of the weight he held upon his shoulders, allowing him to rest and feel at peace for a few blessed moments.

"...He's a failure," Anduin's hand froze as it hovered against the wooden door of his fathers' study, eyes widening slightly as he heard the low tones of his fathers' voice through the door, seemingly talking to another unknown person within the room. "...he will not be a good king, that he shouldn't be heir to the throne."

Heir to the throne...

His father was speaking of _Anduin._

Anduin took a small, hesitant step back, before turning and bolting down the hallway, eyes filling with vision-blurring tears as the words of his father sunk in.

Anduin felt his shoulder clip someone else in the hallway, but he just stumbled to the side before straightening and continuing on.

When he reached his room, Anduin quickly grabbed the pack that was settled at the foot of his bed, a gift that Velen had given him in order to take the items he had collected during his time under his guidance back to Stormwind, and emptied its contents onto his bed, before turning to his wardrobe and pulling tunics and pants from it, taking a moment to scan the clothing to make sure it had no outstanding features that could identify him as the Prince of Stormwind.

After throwing a couple of pairs of tunics and pants into the pack, alongside a scarf and cloak, Anduin snatched his journal from his desk along with a stick of charcoal, gently settling them into the pack. After closing the pack and settling it upon his back, Anduin carefully crept to his window, quietly opening the window and throwing his legs over the edge, before flipping onto his stomach and carefully lowering himself until he was hanging by his arms, his feet finding a foothold upon the slightly uneven blocks that made up the walls of the keep, before letting go of the ledge and using the hand and footholds he found to swiftly descend the side of the keep, landing softly on the grassy area that lay alongside the lake that was settled in the quiet area between the hills and the walls of Stormwind.

As Anduin skirted around the lake, his troubled mind filled with self-doubt.

What was he _doing?_ His father would be so angered when he finds out...

But Anduin _needed_ time to himself. The pressure of living up to his fathers' visions of him had been weighing on him for a long time, and hearing his father speak of him that way was the straw that had broken the camel's back.

He wasn't running forever... at least that wasn't what he planned on at the moment, but he needed to get away from the pressures of the throne and his father.

《◇》

Varian set the quill beside the form he had been drafting, the king settling back against his chair as he let himself relax, eyes drifting to land upon the large portrait of Tiffin that was hung up on the wall, the beautiful woman seemingly looking back at him.

"Oh Tiffin... how I wished you were here. Anduin..." Varian hesitated, a quiet sigh escaping his lips as his dark eyes stared upon the painted form of his passed love. "The nobles are saying that he's a failure and that he will not be a good king because of his desire to not be a great fighter, that he shouldn't be heir to the throne. But I can see that he'll be a great king, possibly greater than me, warrior or not. And I can see and accept that being a warrior might not be the path he decides to take. He will be a great king nonetheless, but..."

The room fell to silence, the portrait upon the wall offering no comfort to the king.

"You always knew what to say in these situations. I... I don't know how to let him know that I'll support him no matter what, as long as he's safe. I just-"

The king was cut off as a quick series of knocks rang out, the voice of Commander Jackel coming from behind the wooden door.

"My King, I just saw something I believe you should know about." The man's tone was a concerned one, prompting Varian to rise, taking a few strides to cross the room before opening the door to talk to the man face-to-face.

"My King." Jackel bowed his head, before raising worried eyes to meet Varians. "I was walking on my way here when someone ran past me, bumping pretty roughly into me on their way past. When I turned to see who it was, it was Prince Anduin. He looked pretty distressed and seemed to be heading for his room. I didn't wish to impose on any personal issues, so I came to you, to let you know just in case you wish to check upon the Prince."

Varian nodded and dismissed the man, before setting out for his son's room, worry settling in his heart. Anduin didn't normally react in such a way to things, so the fact that he had run through the halls and had pushed Jackel aside without apologizing or at least checking if the man was alright.

Little to the King's knowledge, his son was currently sneaking through the streets of his city, sticking to the shadows and dodging guards as he made his way further and further from the Keep.

《◇》

I don't know if I'll continue this but we shall see.


End file.
